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#DigiDayWest a huge success for Fermanagh

It may seem like a rural paradise, with nothing but lush green fields and stretches of stunning waterways, but if it’s good enough for the world leaders who descended on this little county for the G8 Summit, it’s good enough for Ireland’s digital marketing elite. That was certainly the case last week when Fermanagh played host to the first digital marketing conference in the North West, #DigiDayWest.

The event attracted some of the country’s most infamous digital speakers, with the Tweeting Goddess, Samantha Kelly proving to be the biggest draw. Samantha rounded off a day packed with digital marketing advice with tales of her own journey to goddess stature and a few golden nuggets of Twitter advice.

And she was as impressed with Fermanagh as they were with her, saying “DigiDayWest has been a wonderful event, with a real buzz about it both in the room and online. We’ve had such a fantastic reception here – the people, the setting and the hospitality has been impressive. So much so that I want to bring the next #IrishBizParty conference here. I think it’s the perfect place for it.”

As well as Twitter, delegates from across the North and West were treated to advice on improving their search engine rankings from SEO expert, Brian Power of Avantech, digital marketing strategy tips from Aine Bermingham of Utter Digital, and an energetic look at the field of online reputation with the renowned Wayne Denner.

Big Red Cloud’s Michael O’Brien was for me a highlight of the day, telling the story of how Big Red Cloud managed the campaign to win Sponsor for a Day and have their logo on the Leinster rugby jersey.

The announcement of the launch of the High Speed Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme for the Fermanagh and Omagh District area was warmly welcomed by the local business community in attendance. It will allow local SMEs and social enterprises to apply for grants of up to £3,000 to obtain high-speed broadband connections. With Fermanagh looking to lead the way in the North West when it comes to encouraging digital adoption for local businesses, no doubt this Scheme will further assist those businesses in doing so. The event was run by First Stop Shop, headed up by Yvonne Megahey, who told us, “We’re delighted to bring such an event to Fermanagh. The speakers have been inspirational for all of us, and our outstanding local businesses will have gained so much knowledge and valuable tips from attending the event. We’ve been working hard with Fermanagh businesses to help them build a strong online presence, establishing a Twitter business network in #FermanaghHour, and hosting several workshops and talks throughout the county. For us, this event has certainly been a highlight and we look forward to continuing to support Fermanagh businesses to grow & export.”